Electric outlet device



May 20, 1930. H.-E. SLADE w 1,759,595

ELECTRIC OUTLET DEVICE Fi led May 18, 1929 Patented May 20, i1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HAROLD E. SLADE, 0F GLEN RIDGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR "1.0 BEAVER MANUFAC- TUBING COMPANY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY ELECTRIC OUTLET -DEVICE Application filed May 18,

a My present invention is a modification of the device shown in in Patent 1,7 31,989 of October 15, 1929 and re ates to a new and useful electrical outlet device of the type adapted to receive a conventional electrical connector plug, and more particularly to'an electrical outlet which is equally adapted to receive, and be wired by, a duplex cord extending through 1 the outlet or terminating therein, the entire '10 outlet device and its adjuncts being adapted to be rigidly, quickly, and'easily secured to a wall or other support by a single centrally di posed screw or the like.

My invention further relates to a novel electrical outlet device adapted for use at any desired point or location, and one which may be wired, assembled, and secured in positionwith minimum skill and effort.

My invention still further relates to an outlet of this general character which is durable and inexpensive to produce.

To the above ends, my invention consistsof a sectional or two part insulating housing, pairs of parallel blade receiving recesses in one part, as the body, of said housing, pairs of spring contacts in said recesses adapted to receive the blades of a conventional plug or electrical connector, said spring contacts being anchored between the housing sections and having wire -engaging means adapted to receive the wires of a duplex electrical cord,

.means for securing the housing sections together, and means for securing the entire housing to a support by a single centrally disposed supporting screw or the like.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention I have shown in the accompanying drawings one form thereof which is at present preferred by me, since the same has been found in practice togive satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which my invention consists can be variously arranged and organized and that my invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of the instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1, represents a longitudinal section of 1929. Serial No. 364,070.

an electrical outlet device embodying my" Fig. 5, represents a perspective View of one of the spring contact members shown in Fi 1 in detached position.

- eferring to the drawings, in which like reference characters'indicate like parts, 1 designates an electrical outlet, embodying my invention, comprising 'a sectional housing having a'body member 2, and a cap or closure member-3, composed of suitable insulating material, said body being provided with the parallel blade receiving apertures 4 extending therethrough and symmetrically disposed with respect to the axis thereof, said apertures being adapted to receive and engage the contact blades of an electrical plug or connector (not shown) of any conventional type. Within the apertures 4 are disposed the spring contact members 5, which are composed of the body portion 7 which terminates at'its front end in the deflected, inclined spring blade 8, and which has the deflected rear end portion 9 which terminates in the angularly disposed contact members (or limbs) 10. and 11 and the oifset tongue or contact member 12, which are adapted to seat within the recesses 13 in the cap portion 3.

The body 2 is secured to the cap 3 by means of the screws or theirequivalents 14, which are adapted to engage the threaded bushings 15, embedded in the cap member 2.(see Fig. 2). When the screws 14: are tightened to clamp the cap 3 against the body 2, the spring contacts or tongues 12 are pressed or clamped towards the. spring contacts or limbs 10 and 11, thereby tight-1y clamping the divided portions 16 of a duplex electric conductorinserted therebetween, as will be best understood from Figs. 1 and 3, thereby eliminating the necessityof providing binding posts or their equivalent, to which the electrical conductors i fined or clamped between the body 2 andthe cap or closure 3, are further retained in position by the shoulders 17 formed near. the

outer ends of the apertures 4 and engaging the. front ends of the contacts 5 at the junction of the spring blades 8 with the body 7 as will be best understood from 1.

18 designates a centrally dlsposed screw or nail the head 19 of which is embedded or otherwise secured in the cap 3, whereby the device may be secured to a wall or other'sltilpport, by driving said screw 18, nail or v like, into such support. To fac1htate the driving of the screw 18, nail or the like, into the support and to relieve. the body and cap 3 of all strain due to pressure 1n driving a screw or to hammering in drlvmg a nail, I provide the through opening 20 extending through the cap 3, through which a screw driver or a nail set (not shown) may be mserted to en age and actuate the screw 18,

nail or the li e. It is to be understood, however, that the nail or screw 18 need not necessarily be embedded in the body portion 2, and that the same may be inserted from without the aperture 20, and driven into the support, with the head 19 thereof engaging the countel-sunk seat 21 formed in the outer portion of the cap at the outer end of the aperture 20. The body 2 is provided with shallow recesses or seats 22 on the face thereof juxtaposed to the cap 3, said recesses corresponding to and registering with the seats or recesses 13 in the cap 3 to accommodate the spring contacts 10, 11, and 12 when the device is assembled, as will be understood from Fig. 4.

In assembling m novel device the divided wires 16 of a dup ex cord or electrical conductor are first inserted between the tongues or ofi'set contacts 12 and the juxtaposed contacts 10. and 11 of the spring contacts 5. The body 2 and cap 3 are then clamped together by the screws 14, and the entire outlet is then readily secured to the desired point or support by means of the centrally disposed nail or screw 18 which, as stated, may have its head 19 embedded in-the cap 3, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2, or it may be inserted through the aperture 20, with the head 19 thereof engaging the countersunk seat 21 formed at the outer end of the aperture 20. When the body 2 and cap 3 are assembled by tightening the screws 14, it will be apparent that the contacts 5 are immovably eld in position and prevented from shifting by the shoulders 17 seen in Fig. 1, and the pressure of the cap 3 upon the bent tongues 12, which tightly engage the divided conductor limbs 16.

The recesses 23 in the body 2 for the conductor wires are posed to the fastemng screws 14 so as to clear said contacts are preferably angularly 'dis-' the latter, as will be understood from Fig, 8.

It will thus be seenthat I have devised a novel outlet which is durable and inexpensive to produce and one which may be assembled and secured to a support with a minimum of skill, time, and efi'ort.

Iam aware that the invention ma be embodied in other specific forms wit out departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and I therefore desire the present embodiment to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claim rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what to secure by Letters I claim as new, and desire Patent, is:

An electrical outlet device of. the character stated, comprising a body and cap, longitudi nallyextending means for securing said cap and body together, there being spaced blade receiving .apertures extending through said body, a centrally disposed mounting screw carried by and projecting from said cap and adapted to engage an external support, there being an aperture in said body having a countersunk seat registering with the head of said screw, for the insertion of a tool for actuating said screw, and there being alignof said contacts, the inner portions of the latter being deflected outwardly and formed into juxtaposed, ofi'set' outer and central tongues positioned in the recesses in said cap and adapted to receive the divided members 5 of an electrical conductor therebetwcen, said central tongues being clamped upon said divided conductor members when said body and cap members are assembled, whereby prevented from longitudi nal displacement.

' HAROLD E. SLADE. 

